A known type of vane assemblies for gas turbine engines in which the vanes are removable includes vanes inserted through holes in a casing and retained by a circumferential strap extending around the casing. Such a retention method has uneven vane retention force around the circumference that is undesirable in high thrust engines. In addition, the strap is generally disengaged from the casing when a vane needs to be replaced, thus at the same time disengaging and shifting the remaining vanes out of position.